Netflix taunts ad blocking crowd with 'Black Mirror' ads
It'll deliver promos despite the anti-ad software you're running.
You might not like that companies are trying to either discourage ad blocking or serve ads regardless, but at least they're getting creative about it. Netflix is promoting its bleak drama Black Mirror by serving special ads just to people spotted using ad blocking software. "You cannot see the ad. But the ad can see you," Mashable saw in one example. The ad is certainly consistent with Black Mirror's notion of technological breakthroughs gone wrong, but it may come as a surprise if you'd installed a blocker precisely to avoid this kind of media blitz.
We've reached out to Netflix to see if it can say how it serves these ads. Are they piped through an ad network or served directly to specific websites, for example? It's also uncertain just which sites get these ads, although tech-oriented sites appear to be included in the mix. However you see the promos, they're undoubtedly part of a trend where ad blocking software is only truly effective against those companies that don't have the budget or know-how to work around restrictions.
Image credit: Mashable